Tea bags can cure sick building syndrome, say Japanese researchers. People
who move into a new house can suffer nausea and sore throats due to the
chemicals from fresh paint and glue. One of the chief culprits is formaldehyde.
Now the Tokyo Metropolitan Consumer Center has found that tea bags scattered
around the house soak up the formaldehyde, aided by tannin in the tea. They
found that the concentration of formaldehyde in the air fell by between 60 and
90 per cent. Dry black or green tea is said to work best.
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